


Castiel's Day Out

by headfirstforwaywardhalos



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Destiel Christmas Mini Bang 2015, Destiel Christmas Minibang 2015, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 02:47:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5358116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headfirstforwaywardhalos/pseuds/headfirstforwaywardhalos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He shuffled a few feet, mostly using the handrail to pull himself forward, and when he felt he was stable enough to try to gain speed he promptly slipped backwards and hit the ice hard.</p><p>… Or at least he would have, if it weren’t for the hand and arm suddenly looping around his wrist and back.</p><p> </p><p>(Or, Castiel tries to teach himself how to ice skate and it all goes wrong, until it doesn't.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Castiel's Day Out

_Bah humbug_ , Castiel thought sourly as he grasped at the handrail for the umpteenth time.

 

Anna and Samandriel had demanded that Gabe teach them how to ice skate the minute he smugly announced that, for some reason, he had learned how before coming home for the holidays. (“Let’s just say, I could watch Kali do her thing on ice all day,” Gabe had said in a tone Castiel wasn’t sure was meant to be romantic or lewd.) Gabe had agreed, on the condition that Castiel came along with them.

 

“What’s the matter, Cassie?”, Gabe had grinned. “Don’t you wanna spend some quality time with your long-lost older brother?”

 

“You were at _college_ ”, Castiel had grumbled. “Hardly lost, and not nearly long enough.”

 

But Samandriel turned towards him and really, what chance did he have against his little brother’s puppy dog eyes?

 

Then Gabe in typical fashion went and bailed on them last minute; “something came up”, his text read, which Castiel assumed was Gabe-speak for trying to get some poor girl’s number. Of course he would have texted when Castiel was already at the ice rink. Anna was perfectly content with staying at the nearby mall, and Castiel knew Samandriel wouldn’t have left the house yet when Gabe texted. Not for the first time, he inwardly cursed his older brother and his own habit of punctuality, in that order.

 

Castiel had been set to go home, but he wasn’t up to the ten-minute trek in the chilly wind just yet, and decided that there was no harm in staying to watch the people on the rink for a while. And the more he watched, the less he felt like leaving, until before he knew it he was at the counter being handed a slightly grubby-looking pair of rented skates.

 

So now here he was, slipping and sliding and trying to find purchase on the ice for what was possibly his worst idea ever. It had looked simple enough when he was standing on nice, solid ground in his nice, solid sneakers.

 

“If you assume, you make an ass out of you and me,” his older sister’s singsong voice floated in his head before he waved it away. Anna would’ve been much more amused if she were really there to see him anyway, he noted irritably as he barely stopped himself from knocking over a little girl half his size.

 

He shuffled a few feet, mostly using the handrail to pull himself forward, and when he felt he was stable enough to try to gain speed he promptly slipped backwards and hit the ice hard.

 

… Or at least he would have, if it weren’t for the hand and arm suddenly looping around his wrist and back.

 

Castiel opened his eyes – when had he closed them? – to see a boy around his age scrutinizing him, wearing a mixed expression of smugness, amusement, and concern. Then he registered that he was still in a slightly diagonal position, and realized with growing mortification that the boy had inadvertently caught him in a _ballroom dip_.

 

The boy seemed to realize it too, because he turned beet red and carefully helped Castiel upright, letting go when he was sure Castiel could balance on his own again. He appeared no less smug, though – _and no less gorgeous_ , Castiel’s mind supplied unhelpfully. He could feel his face burning.

 

“Sorry about that,” the boy smirked. “You looked like you needed a hand.”

 

“You could say that,” Castiel muttered, determinedly staring at a blurred stain on the glass enclosing the rink. “Thanks.”

 

The boy’s smirk turned friendly and he held out a hand.

 

“I’m Dean.”

 

Castiel hesitated before reaching out to shake it. “Castiel.”

 

Dean grinned. “So, Cas, any reason why you’re moving around like a duck going into labor?”

 

Castiel’s eyebrow twitched at the immediate nickname and the metaphor, but he elected to ignore them.

 

“My brother was supposed to meet me here to teach me, but he backed out at the last minute. And I thought since I was already here, I may as well try to teach myself.”

 

“And how’s that working out for you?” Dean’s grin widened.

 

 Castiel scowled at this. “Not very well, as you seem to _so clearly_ know.”

 

Dean held up his hands. “Easy, tiger. No harm meant,” he quipped. Castiel felt his scowl slip and a blush replace it. He cleared his throat.

 

“So, uhm, thanks again for not letting me fracture my tailbone or my skull or anything,” he said, expecting Dean to take that as “So long, nice to meet you”.

 

Dean seemed to think otherwise.

 

“No problem, man. Hey, I’m not a professional or anything, but if you want, I can teach you the basics? Wouldn’t want anything to happen to that li’l tush of yours while I’m not around to catch you,” he winked.

 

“Oh, you don’t have to – that is, you probably have better things to do and I –,” Castiel stammeredbefore Dean cut him off with a laugh.

 

“I want to, though. I come here every other day anyway, been doing it since I was a kid. It’ll be a bonus that I’ll get to spend some of that time making new friends.”

 

“Are you normally this flirty with your friends?” Castiel let out before he could stop himself. Oh, lord. The earth would do him a kindness to swallow him whole. As soon as possible. Right now, preferably.

 

And there was that damnable smirk again. “Only the cute ones,” Dean teased.

 

Castiel ventured a guess that this was the reddest his face and neck has ever been; it certainly felt like it.

 

Then Dean said, “I’m leaving in a bit, and I’m guessing you only rented those skates for an hour or two. From what I’ve seen, you’ve got a hell of a lot to learn.” And Castiel wenton the defensive.

 

He was about to splutter that he was _fine, thanks very much_ , when his traitorous feet decided it was a good time to slide in opposite directions. He scrambled to adjust his hold on the rail.

 

Dean muffled a snort before he shifted to stand beside him and crooked an arm. “Come on, Black Swan. No time like the present, _since you’re already here_.”

 

Castiel glared at him before gingerly placing a hand on Dean’s very firm – _don’t think about it, just focus on not falling on your face_ – forearm. Small mercy that Dean was wearing a long-sleeved baseball henley, although that sight in itself wasn’t helping much, either. Castiel stared resolutely ahead.

 

“So first thing you do is make sure you don’t lock your knees,” Dean went on, unaware of Castiel’s inner turmoil. It took Castiel a few moments to register and follow what he said. Dean nodded approvingly.

 

“Good. Now, I’m gonna skate forward a little bit. Watch my feet and try to copy me.”

 

Dean glided minutely forward, and Castiel imitated him stiffly. They did this for a while until Dean deemed his movements acceptably smooth.

 

“Okay, you think you can make bigger steps? Like, just slide your feet out a little more.”

 

Castiel doubled his inch-long glides.

 

“Yeah, that’s it. Doing great, Cas, but I think you can make them a little longer.”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea just yet, Dean.”

 

“Sure it is. It’ll be okay, I got you.”

 

Castiel stretched his feet out a little further and braced himself, but he didn’t feel the expected loss of footing. Huh. He took another step, and another, and when he still didn’t feel he was tipping over he picked up the pace. Then the toe of his right skate hit the heel of the other and this time, he felt like he was toppling forward.

 

Dean caught him in time, but wisely made no comment other than to snicker and correct his stance. It went on like this for a few minutes: Castiel, elated that he wasn’t about to fall over after every few steps, would increase his speed until he would be dangerously leaning forwards or backwards sideways. Dean would steady him with a hand to his shoulder that Castiel refused to describe as _lingering_ , his chuckles growing louder every time.

 

“Alright, Disney-on-ice, new plan,” he said after Castiel lost his balance yet again. He gently pulled Castiel close and put a hand on the small of his back, his other hand holding onto Castiel’s own. “Is this okay?” he asked, peering closely at Castiel.

 

“Disney-on-ice? Really?” Castiel said dryly, and if that was mainly to keep from panicking because Dean was so close, no one had to know.

 

Dean poked Castiel’s side. “My mom used to take me, when I was little. Don’t knock it til you see a twenty-foot Ursula doing a 360 spin.” He poked him again. “Just do what you were doing before; watch how I move and try to follow my lead.”

 

Surprisingly, it was easier to mimic Dean despite their distractingly close proximity. They had a few false starts, with Castiel trying to concentrate on his feet rather than the warm callouses on Dean’s fingers or the way Dean’s comfortably large hand seemed to meld perfectly with his, but he eventually figured out a rhythm.

 

Dean cheered. “That’s it, Cas, you’re doing it!”

 

Castiel grinned back at him.

 

They skated a few more feet until Dean was confident Castiel had a handle on it, and pulled away to revert back to their former position with Castiel’s hand on his arm. Castiel mourned the loss of contact. But on the other hand, he was – sort of – skating!

 

By the time Dean, announcing Castiel’s graduation from pregnant avian to amateur skater, pulled away completely, Castiel realized his rented skates were up. As Dean walked him to the counter after taking off their skates, Dean having packed his own in a triangularly shaped bag, he checked his watch and groaned. “Shit, I’m late.”

 

Castiel frowned. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah. I got a shift at my family’s garage, but it’s ok. I can pick another shift to make up for it.”

 

Castiel shuffled his feet guiltily. “I’m really sorry, Dean.”

 

“Don’t be,” Dean said firmly. “It’s not your fault. Besides,” his grin turned mischievous, “it was pretty worth it.”

 

Castiel flushed for what felt like the hundredth time and made up his mind then and there. “I’d like to thank you,” he blurted out.

 

Startled, Dean opened his mouth to say something, but Castiel interrupted him before he lost his nerve.

 

“With a coffee thing. Or something.” He corrected himself from earlier; _this_ was probably the reddest he’s ever been.

 

Dean’s face lit up.

 

“Have dinner with me and we’ll call it even.”

 

Castiel felt his mouth go slack. “I – that is, uhm,” he stuttered.

 

Dean’s mischievous grin returned, with a hint of something warmer. “I wanna see you again, if that’s okay. Here, put down your number,” he took out his phone and handed it to Castiel, calling the number Castiel had input. A loud buzzing burst out of Castiel’s pocket.

 

“And that’ll be me,” Dean chirped. Castiel couldn’t help but grin along with him.

 

They left the ice rink center together, Dean wrapping his scarf around Castiel’s neck when he admitted that he forgot to bring one. “Now you definitely have a reason to text me,” he said triumphantly as Castiel fondly rolled his eyes. When they separated at the corner of the block and the wind began to lash at his face, Castiel buried his nose in the scarf and sighed, content.

 

Oh, he could just kiss Gabe right now.

 

 

           
     

 

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Destiel Christmas Mini Bang 2015
> 
> Day 6: Ice skating
> 
> with that G O R G E O U S work or art by [the-profoundbond](http://the-profoundbond.tumblr.com/)


End file.
